Hamaguchi Osachi (1870–1931)

Abstract

On the morning of 14 November 1930, at Tokyo Station, a young ultranationalist named Sagōya Tomeo shot Hamaguchi Osachi in the stomach as Japan’s premier walked down the platform to board a train intended to take him to military inspection duties in the mid-western prefecture of Okayama. Prime Minister Hamaguchi narrowly survived this attempt on his life, at least for the time being. Though physically enfeebled and finding it extremely difficult even to stand up, he commuted from his hospital bed to a series of gruelling sessions in the Diet, Japan’s parliament. With dogged perseverance, he tried to make sure that all of the bills his party Rikken Minseitō (Constitutional Democratic Party or more commonly, Minseitō) had initiated would pass. He recognized that many of the policies and institutions he stood for — including reduction of naval armament, strict fiscal measures, equitable social policy, party politics, and the survival of his party itself — were at stake. Ultimately, in the face of mounting pressures from the military hardliners and the conservative opposition party Rikken Seiyūkai (Friends of Constitutional Government Party, a.k.a. Seiyūkai), Hamaguchi’s resistance gave way and he resigned his post in April 1931. On 26 August, he died from complications of his unhealed wounds.

I would like to thank Christopher Szpilman and Ian Buruma for their invaluable comments on the earlier version of this chapter. The entire chapter follows the Japanese convention of placing the surname before the given name. Full names will be listed for the authors of all Japanese publications. (e.g.: Hamaguchi Osachi, rather than O. Hamaguchi or Hamaguchi O.) Their place of Publication is Tokyo. The translations of the primary sources are all mine, unless otherwise indicated.